1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus, a system, and a method of dispensing prescription drugs and information at a point-of-sale while incorporating aggregation of order rights, transferring of order rights from a pharmacy to a wholesaler, replenishing of prescription drugs, and allocating a dispensing fee to the pharmacy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, individuals obtain medical services from health care providers. Such health care providers may include physicians, pharmacies, hospitals, or the like as needed. Increasingly, these services have received coverage by some form of third party payer, such as the employer, the government, or an insurance mechanism, with the balance payment remaining the responsibility of the patient. Sometimes the patient pays directly for the services, and sometimes payment is effected by use of credit through a credit card company or the like. At other times, claims are submitted by the patient or by the provider to an insurance company who then pays the provider, patient, or both, as appropriate.
The current retail drug distribution process requires the retail pharmacy to purchase drugs from wholesalers and to receive payment for the drugs from a benefits manager on behalf of the patient's insurer. The benefits manager then seeks payment from the drug manufacturer of rebates related to contracts between the benefits manager and the manufacturer.
However, an apparatus, a system, and a method are needed in which a pharmacy's inventory may be replenished by a wholesaler at no cost. To compensate a wholesaler for replenishing the pharmacy at no cost, the wholesaler would receive administrative fee. In addition, rather than being replenished for any prescription drugs dispensed to a patient, the pharmacy would be paid a dispensing fee. Furthermore, a prescription benefits manager is needed that would be able to maintain an order rights account for each participating pharmacy and wholesaler and monitor and record the execute and transfer of order rights from pharmacies to wholesalers.
Furthermore, an apparatus, a system, and a method are needed in which rather than being replenished for any prescription drugs dispensed to a patient, the pharmacy may elect to transfer the order rights to a wholesaler who originally supplied the prescription drugs dispensed or any other participating wholesaler for credit. A prescription benefits manager is needed that would be able to maintain order rights account for each participating pharmacy and wholesaler and monitor and record the transfer of order rights from pharmacies to wholesalers.
No prior art arrangements have provided an apparatus, a system, and a method for effectuating a fully integrated and cooperative system for dispensing and managing health care.